*** NEC Pushes the Envelope with a New Design for Computing
By
John. N Latta
The world of personal computing is driven by meeting quarterly numbers and satisfying the
street. Moore’s Law drives expectations for performance. The size of personal devices is
determined by display sizes – notebook, tablet, PDA and some would like the watch. This a nice
neat package of how computing can be expressed. Right?
Wrong.
At ITU Telecom World we got a sample of another view by NEC. It is based on the pen and called
P-ISM. This concept is so radical that we went to Tokyo to learn more.
The design concept uses five different pens to make a computer. One pen is a CPU, another a
camera, one creates a virtual keyboard, another projects the visual output and thus the display
and another a communicator (a phone). All five pens can rest in a holding block which recharges
the batteries and holds the mass storage. Each pen communicates wireless, possibly Bluetooth.
During our visit at NEC headquarters in Tokyo, Japan we spoke with its designer Toru Ichihash.
In developing this concept he asked himself – “What is the future of IT when it is small?” The
pen was a logical choice. He also wanted a product that you could touch and feel. Further, the
intent is to allow for an office anywhere.
Ichihashi-son used as inspiration James Bond and the future of what technology could be. But
Ichihashi-son stated that this is closer to reality than what appears in the 007 movies.
A summary of the design components, its functions and his assessment of the realizability is in
the table below.
Concept Component
Function
Realizability
CPU Pen
Computing Engine
Open
Communications Pen
Cell Phone,
Pressure Sensitive
Pointing Device,
Pointer and ear
piece.
Communications
using Bluetooth.
Near Term
Display
LED Projector
A4 Size
Appx. 1024 X 768
Slightly Farther
Out Than the Phone
and Camera
Keyboard
Projected keyboard
with 3D IR Sensor
Slightly Farther
Out Than the Phone
and Camera
Camera
Digital Camera
Near Term
Based
Battery Charger and
Mass Storage
Open
The keyboard is done using technology by Canesta.
www.canesta.com/
www.canesta.com/news/20021028.htm
During our meeting I was shown the only sample built – it is quite elegant. Each of the keyboard
and display pens have their own “legs” that allow the pens to remain erect to project the
virtual keyboard and the display onto a surface. To make just this sample costs $30,000.
The design paradigm in P-ISM is quite different than a notebook, PDA or even a cell phone. Each
of these are self-defining by their shape and form factor which is one integrated unit. This is
good and bad. It is good in that if the unit can be positioned or held the way it is defined it
works well. The bad aspect is that all like units are just that – alike. While what the P-ISM
seeks to do is to create a new form factor based on the individual user. However, this has its
own compromises – a surface is needed to make it functional. What is important about P-ISM is
that it challenges the notion of what is a personal computing device in a form factor which
begins as a pen but is much more.
Yet to be explored in the P-ISM concept is:
OS considerations
Human Interface – display and interaction
Ichihashi-son acknowledged that two key issues are:
Cost
Battery life
When asked what he would like to see happen with P-ISM Ichihashi-son has 3 objectives:
1 – For NEC to make this as a product or with partners that would license the IP.
2 – That the concept would help promote NEC as a leader in products and technology.
3 – The NEC Design team would be seen as a leading design organization.
Based on our visit we would certainly agree with 3.
P-ISM will be shown at CeBIT.
For pictures of the design:
www.wave-report.com/other-html-files/P-ISM%202%20PICS%201.htm
Wave Issue 0351 02/20/04 Article 2-01